U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,899,348, 6,039,195, and 6,327,770 disclose closure and container packages that are particularly well suited for prescription applications. In the packages, the container includes a sidewall with threads formed on an external surface of a neck finish and a deflectable release located just below the threads and cantilevered from the neck finish. The closure includes an internally threaded peripheral skirt having a locking lug at an inside edge of the skirt. This locking lug on the skirt cooperates with a locking lug on the deflectable release of the container for securing the closure to the container in a child-resistant mode of operation. To release the closure, the release is deflected downwardly toward the container sidewall to move the locking lug on the release out of engagement with the locking lug on the closure skirt. Although the packages disclosed in the noted patents have enjoyed substantial commercial acceptance and success, improvements remain desirable.
A general object of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, is to provide a package of this general type in which fang-like deflection limiting lugs of the container are eliminated.
The present disclosure embodies a number of aspects that can be implemented separately from or in combination with each other.
A container for a child-resistant package in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure includes a plastic container body having an outer wall surface, at least one external thread segment, and a deflectable release element cantilevered from the outer wall surface beneath the thread segment and deflectable in an arc downwardly and inwardly toward the outer wall surface. The container body also includes stop means between the deflectable release element and the outer wall surface to limit deflection of the release element. The stop means include laterally spaced lugs on an underside of the deflectable release element, the lugs extending toward the outer wall surface and having inside edges normally spaced from the outer wall surface such that deflection of the release element brings the inside edges of the lugs into abutment with associated laterally spaced points of contact on the outer wall surface. The stop means also include a first pair of stops on the outer wall surface respectively positioned laterally outwardly of the points of contact such that further deflection of the release element after contact of the inside edges with the outer wall surface spreads the lugs laterally outwardly until the inside edges abut the first pair of stops.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a plastic container for a child-resistant package. The container includes a sidewall with an outer surface, at least one external thread, a deflectable release cantilevered from the outer surface beneath the thread and deflectable axially downwardly and radially inwardly toward the outer surface, and deflection limiting elements carried by the deflectable release and the sidewall outer surface to limit deflection of the release. The deflection limiting elements include laterally spaced lugs transversely extending toward the sidewall outer surface from the deflectable release and having portions normally spaced from the sidewall outer surface, such that deflection of the release brings the portions of the lugs into abutment with the sidewall outer surface. The deflection limiting elements also include stop edges on the sidewall outer surface respectively positioned laterally outwardly of the laterally spaced lugs, such that further deflection of the release after contact of the lug portions with the sidewall outer surface spreads the lugs laterally outwardly until the inside edges abut the stop edges.
In accordance with a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a plastic container for a child-resistant package. The container includes a sidewall with an outer surface, a deflectable release cantilevered from the outer surface and deflectable toward the outer surface, and deflection limiting elements carried by the deflectable release to limit deflection of the release. The deflection limiting elements include laterally spaced lugs transversely extending toward the sidewall outer surface from the deflectable release and having portions normally spaced from the sidewall outer surface, such that deflection of the release brings the portions of the lugs into abutment with the sidewall outer surface.